South East Melbourne Phoenix

S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
2024–25 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix season
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix logo
LeagueNBL
Founded2018; 6 years ago (2018)
HistorySouth East Melbourne Phoenix
2019–present
ArenaJohn Cain Arena
State Basketball Centre
Capacity10,500 (JC)
3,200 (SBC)
LocationMelbourne, Victoria
Team coloursBlack, Green, Grey
     
CEOTommy Greer
General managerSimon Mitchell
Head coachJosh King
Team captainJordan Hunter
Nathan Sobey
OwnershipRomie Chaudhari
WebsiteSEMPhoenix.com.au

The South East Melbourne Phoenix are an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Phoenix entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2019–20 season. The team play the majority of their home games at John Cain Arena, which they share with fellow NBL team Melbourne United, with some games being played at the State Basketball Centre.

Franchise history

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With plans to expand the National Basketball League (NBL) beginning with the 2019–20 season, the league sold a franchise licence to Swansea City co-owner Romie Chaudhari in July 2018.[1] It was later announced that the league's ninth franchise would be based in south-eastern Melbourne.[2][3][4] On 17 November 2018, the team's name was announced as South East Melbourne Phoenix.[5] The team logo and colours were also revealed.[6][7] Former NBL player Tommy Greer was the inaugural general manager,[8] Simon Mitchell was the inaugural head coach,[9] and forward Mitch Creek was the first marquee player signing.[10][11]

The Phoenix debuted in the 2019–20 NBL season, with their first game being on 3 October 2019 against cross-town rivals Melbourne United at Melbourne Arena. The Phoenix won 91–88.[12][13] They started the season with a 3–0 record before reaching 6–6 after twelve games and then winning three of their final 16 games. They finished the season in eighth position with a 9–19 record.[14][15] The Phoenix averaged the highest crowd figures ever for a first-year start-up club in Australian Basketball, with a total of 75,179 fans attending their fourteen home games at an average of 5,369 fans per game.[16][17] Creek and American guard John Roberson were the standout players.[14]

In the 2020–21 NBL season, the Phoenix qualified for their maiden finals berth after finishing in fourth position with a 19–17 record. The team won six out of seven games between rounds 9 and 12. In the semi-finals, the Phoenix lost 2–1 to Melbourne United. Alongside Creek, forward Yannick Wetzell and import Keifer Sykes were key players for the team.[18]

In the 2024–25 NBL season, the Phoenix started by going winless over their first five games, which led to the club parting ways with head coach Mike Kelly.[19] After going 2–1 under interim coach Sam Mackinnon,[20][21] new coach Josh King took over from round seven.[22]

Home arena

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Home game of the Phoenix during their 2019–20 debut season at Melbourne Arena
The State Basketball Centre before Phoenix vs Illawarra – 7 February 2021

The Phoenix are headquartered and train at the State Basketball Centre, located in Wantirna South, part of the South-Eastern City of Knox region that forms part of the club's strategic engagement area. The Phoenix play most of their home games at John Cain Arena, which is known as "The Fire Pit" during Phoenix Games. The Phoenix also play a select number of regular season games at the State Basketball Centre each season.[2] During the 2020–21 NBL season, COVID-19 border closures meant that the Phoenix had to relocate their last two home games against the Cairns Taipans and Brisbane Bullets to Cairns Pop-Up Arena. They also hosted their semi-final home game at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

On 25 January 2022, the Phoenix played a regular season game against the Cairns Taipans at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium (GRISS) in Traralgon.[23][24] The Phoenix have played one game at the GRISS every season since, in a partnership with the Latrobe City Council and the Victoria State Government.[25][26]

Current roster

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Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

S.E. Melbourne Phoenix roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt.
C 1 Australia Hunter, Jordan (C) 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) 109 kg (240 lb)
G 2 Australia Kenyon, Matt 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 91 kg (201 lb)
G 5 Australia Glover, Angus 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 90 kg (198 lb)
G 6 Australia Fennell, Luke (DP) 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
G 10 Australia Ayre, Ben 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) 80 kg (176 lb)
G 11 United States Walton, Derrick Injured (I) 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 84 kg (185 lb)
G 13 Australia Rosendale, Luke (DP) 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
F 15 New Zealand Vodanovich, Tom 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 104 kg (229 lb)
G 20 Australia Sobey, Nathan (C) 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 82 kg (181 lb)
G/F 21 United States Wieskamp, Joe (I) 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 93 kg (205 lb)
F/C 22 United States Hurt, Matthew (I) 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 106 kg (234 lb)
C 24 Australia Majok, Majok 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 112 kg (247 lb)
G 30 Australia Foxwell, Owen 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 81 kg (179 lb)
F 33 Trinidad and Tobago Lewis, Malique (NS) 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 88 kg (194 lb)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Development player
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (I) Import player
  • (SRP) Special restricted player
  • (NS) Next Star player
  • Injured Injured
Updated: 28 October 2024

All-time roster

[edit]
Main article: South East Melbourne Phoenix all-time roster

Notable players

[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Honour roll

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NBL Championships: 0
Regular Season Champions: 0
NBL Finals Appearances: 2 (2021, 2023)
NBL Grand Final appearances: 0
All-NBL First Team: Mitch Creek (2022/23)
All-NBL Second Team: Mitch Creek (2020/21, 2021/22, 2023/24)
NBL Rookie of the Year: N/A
NBL Most Improved Player: N/A
NBL Coach of the Year: N/A
NBL Best Sixth Man: N/A
NBL Best Defensive Player: N/A
GameTime by Kmart: Dane Pineau (2019/20), Kyle Adnam (2020/21), Reuben Te Rangi (2022/23)

Season by season

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NBL champions League champions Runners-up Finals berth
Season Tier League Regular season Post-season Head coach Captain Club MVP
Finish Played Wins Losses Win %
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
2019–20 1 NBL 8th 28 9 19 .321 Did not qualify Simon Mitchell Mitch Creek
Adam Gibson 		Mitch Creek
2020–21 1 NBL 4th 36 19 17 .528 Lost semifinals (Melbourne) 1–2 Simon Mitchell Kyle Adnam
Adam Gibson 		Mitch Creek
2021–22 1 NBL 6th 28 15 13 .536 Did not qualify Simon Mitchell Kyle Adnam Mitch Creek
2022–23 1 NBL 5th 28 15 13 .536 Lost play-in qualifier (Perth) 99–106 Simon Mitchell Kyle Adnam
Ryan Broekhoff
Mitch Creek 		Mitch Creek
2023–24 1 NBL 10th 28 10 18 .357 Did not qualify Mike Kelly Mitch Creek Mitch Creek
Regular season record 148 68 80 .459 0 regular season champions
Finals record 4 1 3 .250 0 NBL championships

As of the end of the 2023–24 season

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ward, Roy (13 July 2018). "Swansea owner wins NBL expansion team, but Melbourne could miss out". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b "South East Melbourne to Become NBL's Ninth Team". NBL.com.au. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  3. ^ Uluc, Olgun (2 September 2018). "NBL's ninth team to be based in South East Melbourne, Victorian Government commits to multimillion-dollar investment". FoxSports.com.au. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  4. ^ "NBL expansion: Ninth team confirmed for Melbourne's south east". TheWest.com.au. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  5. ^ "South East Melbourne Phoenix Set To Rise". NBL.com.au. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  6. ^ Uluc, Olgun (17 November 2018). "Introducing the South East Melbourne Phoenix, the NBL's newest franchise". FoxSports.com.au. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  7. ^ Arsenis, Damian (17 November 2018). "NBL's ninth team to be the South East Melbourne Phoenix". pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Ball bouncing: Tommy gun as new GM". BotiNagy.com. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  9. ^ "South East Melbourne Appoint Head Coach". NBL.com.au. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  10. ^ Uluc, Olgun (4 December 2018). "Mitch Creek signs with South East Melbourne Phoenix as first marquee player". FoxSports.com.au. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  11. ^ Arsenis, Damian (4 December 2018). "Phoenix secure prized signature of Mitch Creek". pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  12. ^ Ward, Roy (3 October 2019). "Early risers: Phoenix fire first shot to upset United". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Rising Phoenix stun United in NBL debut". ESPN.com. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  14. ^ a b "2019/20 NBL season review: South East Melbourne Phoenix". Basketball Rookie Me Central. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  15. ^ Santamaria, Liam (7 February 2020). "Tommy Greer on SEM's First Season, Roster Building and Pen Pals". nbl.com.au. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  16. ^ Santamaria, Liam (9 April 2020). "Big Jump in Attendances For Hungry Jacks NBL". nbl.com.au. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Big Jump in Attendances for Hungry Jack's NBL". nbl.com.au. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  18. ^ "South East Melbourne Phoenix Season Review". Basketball Rookie Me Central. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Kelly, Phoenix part ways". National Basketball League | NBL Australia | Australia's Basketball League. 13 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Harvey shoots Hawks over Phoenix". National Basketball League | NBL Australia | Australia's Basketball League. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Mackinnon urges support for local coaches". National Basketball League | NBL Australia | Australia's Basketball League. 27 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  22. ^ ""A little crazy": New coach demands high standards". National Basketball League | NBL Australia | Australia's Basketball League. 28 October 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Phoenix Return to Latrobe City". semphoenix.com.au. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Phoenix Beat Returning Snakes in Gippsland". NBL.com.au. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Phoenix Returns to Gippsland for NBL23". semphoenix.com.au. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Phoenix to Head Back to Gippsland in NBL24". semphoenix.com.au. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
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